ตอน 96: Affogato.

Cam got near them and said to Haley in a surprised tone, "Oh, Haley, you're also here for shopping," while putting his arm around Mitchell's shoulder.

Haley looked at Cam blankly and said emotionlessly, "Oh... what a surprise, you're also here with Uncle Mitchell for shopping."

Cam's mouth twitched as he realized he had been caught spying on them. Sensing the awkwardness, Mitchell suggested, "Why don't we talk over coffee?"

Haley was astonished by her uncle's audacity; first, he followed them, and now he was asking for coffee as if nothing had happened. Ava and Elena looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

Regina approached Elena and Ava and asked, "Babe, who are they?"

Ava pointed at Mitchell and Cam and said, "This is Haley's uncle and his boyfriend."

Regina looked at Mitchell and Cam curiously and asked, "Are they also here for shopping?"

Mitchell started to reply, "No, we—" but Cam put his hand over his mouth and said with a wary smile, "Of course, we're here shopping. What else would we be doing at the mall?"

Regina chuckled at herself for asking such a silly question. Ava looked at Regina and asked, "Regina, they're inviting us for coffee. Do you want to join us or continue shopping?"

Regina thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I don't mind having a coffee."

---

Inside a cafe, at a corner table, Ava, Elena, Regina, and Haley were seated, with Mitchell and Cam in front of them.

Ava looked at the waiter who was waiting for their order and said, "One croissant, one chocolate cake, one affogato, and two lattes."

Ava looked at Haley, Mitchell, and Cam and asked, "What do you guys want to order?"

Haley looked at the waiter and said, trying to act like an adult, "One espresso, please."

Mitchell tried to convince Haley with signs not to act like that and not to order something she couldn't drink, but Haley being Haley, didn't comply.

Mitchell sighed and ordered two affogatos for him and Cam.

While the waiter was bringing their order, Ava looked at Mitchell and asked with a smile, "So, Mr. Pritchett, you can continue now."

Cam looked at Mitchell and asked in a low voice, "What is she talking about?"

Mitchell replied to Cam in a low voice, "I will explain to you later."

Mitchell looked at Ava, who was waiting for his answer with a smile, and said, "Well, your father and I are old friends, but we hadn't been in contact for many years until a month ago when I met him at a bachelor party."

Cam interrupted Mitchell and asked, "You mean that night party you went to?"

Mitchell nodded and continued, "At the party, after he got totally drunk, he started bragging about his daughter named Ava, how she was a genius since she was one year old, while showing your photo on his wallpaper."

Ava chuckled and said, "That's so like my dad."

Ava looked at Mitchell and asked curiously, "What else did he say about me?"

Mitchell replied to Ava, "He said that you are his lucky star, that ever since you came into his life, he's been happy, and you are the reason he got married."

Regina looked at Ava and asked with a little confusion, "Why are you the reason your dad got married?"

Ava replied, "Because they got married because my mom was pregnant with me, even when my mother's family was against their marriage."

Everyone was a little surprised by Ava's answer.

While they were talking, Cam looked at Ava and asked with a paper and pen, "Can I have an autograph?"

Regina and Elena were a little confused by the sudden request from Cam, while Haley was tense about how Ava would react, knowing that she had revealed her secret to her uncle and his boyfriend.

Ava turned to Haley with a smile, but Haley understood what Ava was trying to say.

Haley just gave Ava an apologetic look, while Ava sighed looking at Haley's face.

Ava took the paper and pen and signed an autograph for Cam, then looked at Mitchell and asked, "Do you want one too, Mr. Pritchett?"

Mitchell nodded and said, "If it doesn't bother you."

Ava just smiled and signed another autograph while saying, "It doesn't bother me, but I think I have to talk with someone so it won't spread more." Ava looked at Haley, while Haley looked at the ground, hiding her face.

Mitchell saw that and said, "It's not Haley's fault; we forced her."

Ava looked at Mitchell's apologetic face and sighed again. She gave the autograph to Mitchell, her face becoming cold, and said in a serious tone, "Don't spread it anymore. I don't want fans or the media to stalk my personal life."

Mitchell, Cam, and Haley felt a shiver hearing Ava's words and seeing her blue eyes, as if Ava was looking into their souls and whispering a warning. Meanwhile, Regina and Elena were whispering as they couldn't hear anything, knowing that Ava could be scary sometimes.

Ava's face returned to normal as she smiled and said while looking at the waiter bringing their orders, "Okay, our order is here."

After the waiter put Ava's affogato in front of her, Ava took a spoonful of vanilla ice cream dipped in coffee, while both Elena and Regina enjoyed their lattes with cake and croissant. Cam, Mitchell, and Haley were still thinking about what they had just witnessed.

Ava looked at them, snapped her fingers in front of them, and said, "Hey, guys, the order is here."

They snapped out of their thoughts and looked at Ava's smiling face, thinking, 'Was it a dream?'

Mitchell and Cam took a bite of affogato and felt a bit more relaxed, while Haley drank her strong espresso with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Ava chuckled while looking at Haley's face as she tried to drink the bitter espresso she wasn't used to.

Ava took some affogato on the spoon and said, "It looks like you don't like espresso, so why don't you try mine?" She held a spoonful of affogato near Haley's mouth.

Haley looked at the vanilla ice cream with coffee on it in the spoon held by Ava and took a bite.

Haley also felt relaxed. Ava's phone started ringing. Ava saw the number and said, "Guys, you can enjoy; I'll be back in a minute."

Elena looked at Ava and said, "Can I have your affogato?"

Ava just nodded with a smile and went to the washroom. After Ava left, Elena took Ava's affogato and took a bite using her own spoon.

While eating, Elena looked at Haley, Mitchell, and Cam and said, "You guys don't have to fear Ava. She just gets angry when things don't go as she planned, but she is kind-hearted."

Haley nodded and said, "I know that, but I've never seen her face like that."

Regina replied, "Well, Ava doesn't get serious unless she thinks the matter is important, and she doesn't like it when people interfere in her life."

Haley, Mitchell, and Cam nodded, knowing that not everyone likes fame and people following them. Haley felt guilty about revealing Ava's secret.

Elena held Haley's hand and said, "You don't have to worry. Ava is just a little frustrated about something, which is why she reacted that way."

Haley just nodded. Regina looked at Elena talking with Haley as she quickly snatched a big bite from Ava's affogato.

Elena sensed something and looked at the affogato, which was now gone, with only the glass remaining with coffee stains. Elena looked at Regina, whose lips had a little vanilla ice cream on them.

Elena said to Regina, "Regina, where is the affogato?"

Regina replied while looking in another direction, "What affogato? I thought Ava ordered chocolate cake and a latte for you."

Elena's mouth twitched, and she said, "I am talking about Ava's affogato."

Regina replied while licking the remaining vanilla ice cream from her own lips, "Oh, that. I finished it."

Elena looked at Regina with a blank expression and sighed.

Elena said, "Do you want one more? I'm going to order another one."

Regina nodded.

Elena looked at Haley and asked, "Haley, do you want one too? I don't think you like espresso."

Haley nodded with a little embarrassment.

After Elena placed an order for three more affogatos, Haley looked around, then turned to Regina and asked, "Is Ava going to release any new songs?"

Regina replied, "Yeah, she is. We've even recorded some songs, but we haven't decided when we are going to release them."

Haley nodded with a smile, while Mitchell and Cam were thinking about why Regina said 'we' in the conversation. Is she also going to sing?

Mitchell thought for a moment and asked, "Can we have your autograph too?" Cam nodded in agreement.

Haley looked at them in confusion and thought, 'Why are they asking for Regina's autograph? Is it because she is Ava's girlfriend?'

Regina was surprised and thought, 'Did Ava also tell Haley about me?'

Regina sighed and signed an autograph for them, using the name "Gray" as her signature.

Mitchell and Cam took the autograph and looked at it, smiling at each other. Meanwhile, Haley looked at them and thought her uncle and his boyfriend were weird.

To be Continued....

[Author's note: Please write a review; it motivates me to write.]

[Author's note: I wrote this chapter without ChatGPT's help, so correct me if there are any mistakes